Consumers in APAC are more likely to be interested in the idea of digital connectivity and Internet of Things than the global average, according to new research from Mindshare.
The research was done across 19 markets and 11,000 respondents, looks at people’s attitudes towards connected devices and products in the home and the services they could perform such as automatic reordering of products, notifying about best usage times (such as in cold weather) or notifications of expiry dates (for perishable food).
Among the Asian countries surveyed, China, India and Malaysia are leading the “connected” charge. Consumers in Japan and Australia however are more skeptical towards connected products and more in line with the rest of the world.
The study also looks at the barriers to entry for these connected products and devices, including the sharing of data. Globally, sixty per cent of people are ‘concerned’ about companies knowing how, when and how often they use their products. The concern rises to 63 per cent in South Korea, 67 per cent in China, 75 per cent in Malaysia and 86 per cent in India.
Of the devices / products that can be connected, mobile phones (60 per cent) cause the most concern over their sharing of data globally, followed by TVs (48 per cent), alcohol (45 per cent), fresh fruit and vegetables (45 per cent), everyday food (45 per cent) and ready meals (45 per cent).